alt.binaries.slack is a

Usenet Usenet (), a portmanteau of User's Network, is a worldwide distributed discussion system available on computers. It was developed from the general-purpose UUCP, Unix-to-Unix Copy (UUCP) dial-up network architecture. Tom Truscott and Jim Elli ...

newsgroup created for the purpose of posting pictures, sounds, and utilities related to the

Church of the SubGenius The Church of the SubGenius is a parody religion that satirizes better-known belief systems. It teaches a complex philosophy that focuses on J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, purportedly a salesman from the 1950s, who is revered as a prophet by the Church. SubGen ...

, making them available for everyone to see and hear. Because the Church of the SubGenius is well known for encouraging sick and twisted humor, the newsgroup is also home to artists who post humorous artwork of all sorts (including some pieces that may be considered distasteful). A fair amount of the pictures on ''alt.binaries.slack'' are adult-oriented, and may be considered offensive by some viewers. The denizens of the newsgroup state that they enjoy deliberately offending those who are too easily offended. In spite of the crude nature of some of the pictures and sounds posted to the newsgroup, many of its regular contributors have displayed considerable talent. Computer graphics artists often visit ''alt.binaries.slack'' to show off their latest experimental works, along with underground musicians who want to expose their music to a "unique" audience. The

clip art Clip art (also clipart, clip-art) is a type of graphic art. Pieces are pre-made images used to illustrate any medium. Today, clip art is used extensively and comes in many forms, both electronic and printed. However, most clip art today is creat ...

image of J.R. "Bob" Dobbs, the founder of the Church of the SubGenius, is commonly seen on ''alt.binaries.slack,'' where he appears regularly in images by many artists. Proper etiquette on the newsgroup dictates that credit be given where it is due, and acknowledgment of the ownership of "Bob's" image by the Church is accepted by the regular newsgroup participants. Shortly after its creation, in 1995, the newsgroup was targeted by

warez Warez refers to pirated software and other copyrighted digital media—such as video games, movies, music, and e-books—illegally distributed online, often after bypassing digital rights management (DRM). The term, derived from “software wa ...

traders, who tried to use it for the distribution of pirated commercial software. The users of the newsgroup responded by forming their own internal "police force" for the newsgroup, known as the ''SubGenius Police, Usenet Tactical Unit - Mobile'' (

SPUTUM Sputum is mucus that is coughed up from the lower airways (the trachea and bronchi). In medicine, sputum samples are usually used for a naked-eye examination, microbiological investigation of respiratory infections, and Cytopathology, cytological ...

). This group of Internet-savvy people embarked on a successful campaign to drive the ''warez'' traders out of the newsgroup. They then turned their resources and skills towards the ongoing problem of

spam Spam most often refers to: * Spam (food), a consumer brand product of canned processed pork of the Hormel Foods Corporation * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ...

on the Internet. As a result, the users of ''alt.binaries.slack'' pride themselves on having one of the most spam-free binaries newsgroups on Usenet. A protracted 1997

flame war Flaming, also known as roasting, is the act of posting insults, often including profanity or other offensive language, on the internet. Flaming is distinct from trolling, which is the act of someone causing discord online or in person. Flaming eme ...

erupted between newsgroup users and

Mike Enlow Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documenta ...

, the self-proclaimed "world's most-respected information broker/technology marketing consultant", who spammed the newsgroups with an advertisement that included a picture of himself. ABS regulars began digitally manipulating the photo in various means and setting up webpages of their "Enlow Art". Before long dozens of mirror websites were set up on servers around the world. The length and hostility of the flame war led some ABS regulars to question how far "

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

ing" should go.

References

External links

SubGenius ''Art Mines''
nbsp;– archive of images from ''alt.binaries.slack'' (contains adult images) {{Usenetnav Church of the SubGenius Newsgroups